Biosafety Laboratory Advisory Group

In the summer of 2004, BUMC launched the Biosafety Laboratory Advisory Group (B-LAG) to provide a forum for community input and participation during the planning and regulatory phases of the project. Comprised of twenty-one community residents, membership on the B-LAG included both supporters and opponents of the project living and/or working in the South End, Roxbury, Dorchester, and South Boston neighborhoods. Agenda items have included presentations on the lab from Boston University leadership, scientists and staff from the safety and environmental health teams at BUMC. Some B-LAG members have also participated in fact-finding activities such as a tour of a Biosafety Level 2 and Biosafety Level 3 laboratory and a site visit to a Biosafety Level 4 facility in Atlanta, Georgia.

The final meeting of the B-LAG was held in March 2006. Its successor, the Community Liaison Committee, was launched in June of that year. Boston University Medical Center wishes to extend a heartfelt thanks to members of the Biosafety Laboratory Advisory Group for their participation and input over the past couple of years. The project’s planning and design was enriched by their feedback